Social care and welfare

St Giles Trust (CAFE project)  

Reducing re-offending in Kent

St Giles Trust works with offenders and disadvantaged people to help them resettle through education, training, employment and housing services. The Children and Families Enterprise (CAFÉ) project is a holistic high support service for offenders serving community sentences in parts of Kent. It provides intensive, exceptional support designed to fill the gaps left by statutory services and prevent re-offending.

It grew from training work the Trust was already carrying out with offenders in Kent. It discovered that many, particularly women, needed support with their family and children. They would typically encounter housing disruption, high rates of depression and increased physical health problems.

The main strength of the project lay in the support workers’ ability to spend large amounts of time with their clients. However, the downside to this was the potential for some clients to become overly reliant on the service. The Trust also realised the importance of enabling people to do things for themselves, as opposed to simply doing things for them. This can mean investing a lot of time in a client, especially in the early stages, but it ultimately means that they are able to move towards self-sufficiency. This approach particularly impressed the judges.

The Trust says that feedback from clients and partners has been extremely positive, demonstrating the breadth, value and impact of the work. Since its start in October 2006, over 200 cases have been handled under the project, of which over 70 are being seen on a regular basis with occasional support provided to closed cases should the need arise. Currently the re-offending rate for clients who have engaged with the service is 10 per cent, while the national average is around 55 per cent.

Tamsin Gregory
Communications manager
64-68 Camberwell Church Street
London SE5 8PW
020 7703 7000
www.stgilestrust.org.uk
Reg no. 801355

Family Action  

A well-executed takeover

In June 2006 Family Service Units (FSU), a family support charity, went into administration. Rather than see FSU services close, and in order to strengthen its own, Family Welfare Association took over FSU services in England, a process which culminated in it rebranding as Family Action in September 2008.

Although taking over FSU services was not strategically planned for, when the chance arose Family Action seized it since it would allow it to dramatically expand the reach of its work, making it the largest charity in the UK dedicated to working with whole families.

The takeover carried a financial risk and needed to happen against a tight timescale. Complex negotiations with the administrators and with staff  had to take place. Dealing with the TUPE situation was a particularly big challenge.

Nearly three years on from the takeover Family Action is proud of the fact that it has managed to keep all of the FSU services it inherited in operation and all the statutory funders continue to support the services. It has continued to open more services and its budget has increased from £17.5m at the time of the merger to an expected £23m in 2009-10. Of the 127 FSU staff who were working at the time, the vast majority have chosen to stay with Family Action. The takeover has led to cost savings. Quality of services has improved as a result and they are more widespread and accessible.

The judges were impressed with a well planned and successful takeover initiative and Maddy Ryle, Family Action’s media and campaigns manager, says: “We operate at a more cost-effective size and have become a stronger voice for families.”

Maddy Ryle
Media & campaigns manager
501-505 Kingsland Rd
London E8 4AU
020 7254 6251
www.family-action.org.uk
Reg no. 264713

Macmillan Cancer Support  

Lobbying for free prescriptions

Until April 2009 most people with cancer under 60 had to pay for their prescriptions but Macmillan knew from calls to its helplines that many were struggling to do so. Cancer patients often struggle with the everyday costs of living and typically see their income drop by half after a diagnosis.

Mike Hobday, Macmillan’s head of policy and campaigns, says: “People told us shocking stories of how they were going without essentials like food or heating in order to pay for their prescriptions. Or worse still, they were going to their GP and asking which drugs they could do without as they couldn’t afford to pay for all of them. This simply had to change.”

The prescription charges exemption system had not been reformed in 40 years and did not take into account the fact that cancer is now a long-term condition. During 2008 Macmillan initiated, planned and implemented a campaign to get free prescription charges for cancer patients in England and Northern Ireland. As a result cancer patients in England are now exempt from prescription charges and they are being phased out in Northern Ireland. The day after it made the decision, the Department of Health said Macmillan’s campaign had convinced it to act immediately. It has estimated that it will benefit 150,000 patients a year at the cost of £100 each.

One cancer patient from Norfolk says: “Free prescriptions will transform my life and that of thousands of others with cancer.  I was so ecstatic when I got the news that prescriptions were going to be free for cancer patients that I shared it with everyone in the train carriage!”

The judges were impressed with a well thought-through, executed and ultimately successful campaign.

Michelle Rowley
Campaigns manager
89 Albert Embankment
London SE1 7UQ
020 7840 4659
www.macmillan.org.uk
Reg no. 261017